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Nat'l Checker Tournaments slated for this weekend

Lebanon will be hosting three nationally recognized Checker tournaments this spring and summer.

The first one, the Tennessee State Open checkers tournament will be held this weekend, Friday through Sunday, March 6-8, at the America’s Best Value Inn & Suites located on Highway 231 (822 South Cumberland Street) near I-40.

The tournament consists of three divisions, masters, majors and minors. And while players are encouraged to join the American Checker Federation (ACF), which sponsors the event, membership is not required, said Fred Davis who represents the federation.

Fees to enter are based on division, with the most expert players in the Masters paying $25, the next level of play, the Majors pay $20 and the Minors pay a $15 entry fee.

Davis said the divisions are based on skill and experience and normally is gauged by federation play. He added that the judges will help a newcomer decide which level would be closest to the player’s skill level.

Two rounds will be played on Friday, four on Saturday, and two on Sunday. Each entrant gets to play two games in each of the eight rounds, Davis said.

Players are matched for the first round by a random drawing, but subsequent round matches are decided by points.

“By the second or third round we have the best players playing each other while less skilled players are matched up, too,” he said. “It’s more fun for everyone that way and it also means everyone gets to play in all eight rounds.”

Registration for this tournament will begin at 1 p.m. Friday followed by a business meeting at 3 p.m.

Play will start at 4 p.m. on Friday and end Sunday at 1 p.m.

For reservations at the inn, call 449-5781 and tell them you are a checker player. You are asked to make your reservations early.

The second tournament will be the Southern Checker Tournament and it will be held July 10-12.

And the third tournament will be a combined youth and adult tournament, with the Arthur Niederhoffer National Youth Tournament to be held Aug. 1-2, with the adult tournament starting the next day.

The ACF "Jim Morrison" National Tournament will be held Aug. 3-7. All the tournaments are to be held at America’s Best Value Inn and Suites.